Ship

ABSTRACT

There is provided a ship, in particular a cargo ship. It has a plurality of Magnus rotors, wherein associated with each of the plurality of Magnus rotors is an individually actuable electric motor (M) for rotating the Magnus rotor, wherein associated with each electric motor (M) is a converter (U) for controlling the rotary speed and/or the rotary direction of the electric motor (M).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to copendingnonprovisional utility application entitled, “SHIP,” having Ser. No.11/917,336, filed Aug. 10, 2009, which is the U.S. National Phase ofPCT/EP2006/05786 filed Jun. 16, 2006, which claims priority to GermanApplication No. 10 2005 028 447.7, filed Jun. 17, 2005, all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The invention concerns a ship, in particular a cargo ship, comprising aMagnus rotor.

2. Description of the Related Art

A ship of that kind is already known from ‘Die Segelmaschine’ by ClausDieter Wagner, Ernst Kabel Verlag GmbH, Hamburg, 1991, page 156. Thatinvolved investigating whether a Magnus rotor can be used as a drive oran ancillary drive for a cargo ship.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,584 also discloses a ship using a plurality ofMagnus rotors for driving the ship. DD 243 251 A1 also discloses a shiphaving a Magnus rotor or a Flettner rotor. DE 42 20 57 also discloses aship having a Magnus rotor. Attention is further directed to thefollowing state of the art: U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,895, DE 101 02 740 A1,U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,382 B1, DE 24 30 630, and DE 41 01 238 A.

The Magnus effect describes the occurrence of a transverse force, thatis to say perpendicularly to the axis and to the afflux flow direction,in respect of a cylinder which rotates about its axis and which has anafflux flow in perpendicular relationship to the axis. The flow aroundthe rotating cylinder can be thought of as a superimposition of ahomogeneous flow and a whirl flow around the body. The unevendistribution of the overall flow affords an asymmetrical pressuredistribution at the periphery of the cylinder. A ship is thus providedwith rotating or turning rotors which in the wind flow generate a forcewhich is perpendicular to the effective wind direction, that is to saythe wind direction which is corrected with the highest speed, and thatforce can be used similarly to the situation involving sailing, to drivethe ship forward. The perpendicularly disposed cylinders rotate abouttheir axis and air which is flowing thereto from the side thenpreferably flows in the direction of rotation around the cylinder, byvirtue of surface friction. On the front side therefore the flow speedis greater and the static pressure is lower so that the ship issubjected to a force in the forward direction.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One object of the present invention is to provide a ship which involvesa low level of fuel consumption.

Thus there is provided a ship, in particular a cargo ship, having aplurality of Magnus rotors. Associated with each of the Magnus rotors isan individually actuable electric motor for rotating the Magnus rotor.Associated in turn with each electric motor is a converter forcontrolling the rotary speed and/or the rotary direction of the electricmotor.

Therefore there is provided a ship which can use the Magnus effect todrive it. The forward drive resulting from the Magnus rotors can beoptimized by individual actuation of the various Magnus rotors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments by way of example and advantages of the presentinvention are described in greater detail hereinafter with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a ship in accordance with a firstembodiment,

FIG. 2 shows a side view and a partial section of the ship of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a further perspective view of the ship of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic view of the various load decks of the shipof FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 a shows a view in section of the ship of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 b shows a further view in section of the ship of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 c shows a view in section of the deckhouse 40 of the ship of FIG.1,

FIG. 6 shows a block circuit diagram of the control system of the shipin accordance with the first embodiment of FIG. 1,

FIG. 7 shows a diagrammatic view of a generation system for electricalenergy,

FIG. 8 shows an arrangement of a plurality of rudders at the stern ofthe ship,

FIG. 9 a shows a diagrammatic view of the central rudder as a side view,

FIG. 9 b shows a diagrammatic view of the central rudder as a view fromthe rear,

FIG. 10 a shows a diagrammatic view of a propeller blade as a view fromthe rear,

FIG. 10 b shows a diagrammatic view of the propeller blade as a sideview,

FIG. 10 c shows a diagrammatic view of the propeller blade as a planview,

FIG. 10 d shows a diagrammatic side view of an alternative embodiment ofa propeller blade, and

FIG. 10 e shows a diagrammatic plan view of the alternative propellerblade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic view of a ship in accordance with a firstembodiment. In this case the ship has a hull comprising an underwaterregion 16 and an above-water region 15. The ship further has four Magnusrotors or Flettner rotors 10 arranged at the four corners of the hull.The ship has a deckhouse 40 which is arranged in the forecastle, with abridge 30. The ship has a screw 50 under water. For improvedmaneuverability the ship can also have transverse thruster rudders,wherein preferably one is provided at the stern and one to two areprovided at the bow. Preferably those transverse thruster rudders aredriven electrically. The accommodations, galley, supplies rooms, messesand so forth are arranged in the deckhouse 40. In this case thedeckhouse 40, the bridge 30 and all superstructures above the weatherdeck 14 are of an aerodynamic configuration to reduce wind resistance.That is achieved in particular by substantially avoiding sharp edges andsharp-edged structures. As few superstructures as possible are providedin order to minimize wind resistance.

The ship in accordance with the first embodiment represents inparticular a cargo ship designed specifically for transporting windpower installations and components thereof. The transportation of windpower installations and the corresponding components thereof can be onlylimitedly implemented with commercially available container ships as thecomponents of a wind power installation represent a corresponding needfor space which does not correspond to the commercially usual containerdimensions while the masses of individual components are slight, incomparison with the amount of space they require. Mention may be madehere by way of example of rotor blades or pod casings of wind powerinstallations which are predominantly in the form of bulky glassfiber-reinforced structures of a weight of a few tones.

In this case the four Magnus rotors 10 represent wind-operated drivesfor the ship according to the invention. It is provided that the ship isbasically to be driven with the Magnus rotors and the propeller or themain drive is to be used only for supplemental purposes when windconditions are inadequate.

The configuration of the hull of the ship is designed in such a way thatthe stern projects out of the water as much as possible. That means onthe one hand the height of the stern above the water level but also thelength of the stern portion which also hangs over the surface of thewater. That design configuration serves to provide for early breakawayof the water from the hull in order to avoid a wave which runs after theship, as that results in a high resistance in respect of the hullbecause that wave which is produced by the ship is also created by themachine power output which however is then no longer available fordriving the ship forward.

The bow of the ship is cut sharply over a relatively long distance. Theunderwater ship region is designed in such a way as to be optimized inrespect of resistance in regard to hydrodynamic aspects, up to a heightof about 3 meters above the construction waterline 13.

Thus the hull of the ship is designed not for maximum load-carryingcapability but a minimum resistance (aerodynamic and hydrodynamic).

The superstructures of the ship are designed to afford good flowdynamics. That is achieved in particular by all surfaces being in theform of smooth surfaces. The design configuration of the bridge 30 andthe deckhouse 40 is intended in particular to avoid turbulencetherebehind so that actuation of the Magnus rotors can be effected withas little disturbance as possible. The bridge 30 with the deckhouse 40is preferably arranged at the bow of the ship. It is also possible forthe superstructures to be arranged in the middle of the ship, but thatwould unnecessarily impede loading or unloading of the cargo because thesuperstructures would thus be arranged precisely over the center of thecargo hold.

As an alternative thereto the deckhouse 40 and the bridge 30 can bearranged at the stern of the ship, but that would be found to bedisadvantageous insofar as the Magnus rotors would interfere with aclear view forwardly.

The drive or forward drive for the ship is optimized for wind drive sothat the ship of the present invention is a sailing ship.

The Magnus rotors are preferably arranged in the region of the cornerpoints of the cargo holds so that they define a rectangular area. Itshould however be pointed out that another arrangement is equallypossible. The arrangement of the Magnus rotors is based on a notion thata given rotor area is required to achieve the desired drive power by theMagnus rotors. The dimensions of the individual Magnus rotors arereduced by dividing that required surface area to a total of four Magnusrotors. That arrangement of the Magnus rotors provides that the largestpossible continuous area remains free, which serves in particular forloading and unloading the ship and permits a deck load to be carried inthe form of a plurality of container loads.

In this respect the Magnus rotors are designed in such a way that theoperation thereof produces the same power (about 6000 kW) as isgenerated by the propeller. With an adequate wind therefore the drivefor the ship can be implemented entirely by the Magnus rotors 10. Thatis achieved for example at a wind speed of between 12 and 14 meters persecond so that the propeller or the main drive can be shut down as it isno longer required for propelling the ship.

The Magnus rotors and the main drive are thus designed in such a waythat, if there is insufficient wind, the main drive only has to furnishthe difference in power which cannot be produced by the Magnus rotors.Control of the drive is thus effected in such a way that the Magnusrotors 10 generate the maximum power or approximately the maximum power.An increase in the power of the Magnus rotors thus directly leads to asaving in fuel as no additional energy has to be generated by the maindrive for the electric drive. The fuel saving is thus afforded withoutadaptation being required between a main drive or propeller driven by aninternal combustion engine, and the control of the Magnus rotors.

FIG. 2 shows a side view and a partial section of the ship of FIG. 1.The Magnus rotors 10, the deckhouse 40 and the bridge 30 are also shownhere. The weather deck 14 has light admission openings 18 which can becovered over with transparent material to provide protection fromweathering influences or sea water. In that respect the shape of thecovers corresponds to that of the other hull portions. In addition thethree load decks, that is to say a lower hold 60, a first intermediatedeck 70 and a second intermediate deck 80 are shown here.

FIG. 3 shows a further diagrammatic view of the ship of FIG. 1. Inparticular the stern of the ship is shown here. The ship again has anupper region 15 and a lower region 16, a deckhouse 40 and a bridge 30 aswell as four Magnus rotors 10. The ship further has a preferablyhydraulically driven stern gate 90 by way of which rolling material canbe loaded into and unloaded from the second intermediate deck 70 b. Thestern gate 90 in this case can be for example 7 meters in height and 15meters in width. In addition a lift can be installed so that rollingloading of the first intermediate deck 80 and the lower hold 60 ispossible. In that case the lower hold 60 is disposed below theconstruction waterline.

FIG. 4 shows a diagrammatic view of the various cargo holds, namely thelower hold 60, the first intermediate deck 70 and the secondintermediate deck 80.

FIG. 5 a shows a sectional view of the cargo holds. In this case thelower hold 60 is arranged as the lowermost cargo hold. The firstintermediate deck 70 and the second intermediate deck 80 are arrangedabove the lower hold 60. The second intermediate deck 80 is closed offby the upper deck 14. Provided at the sides of the upper deck is anoperational gangway or corridor or main deck 85 which preferably hasopenings 18. Those openings can optionally be adapted to be closable.

The hatch coaming of the loading hatches and the operational gangway 85are provided over the entire length with a cover (the weather deck) sothat this forms an area with a surface which is adapted to the externalskin of the ship.

As can be seen in particular from FIG. 5 a the ship has three mutuallysuperposed cargo holds which have in particular smooth side wallswithout under-stowage. That is achieved by a double-skin structure forthe hull. The lower hold 60 and the first intermediate deck 70 arepreferably covered with individual pontoon covers which for example canbe suspended from transverse members which are arranged at variousheights in the side tank wall in such a way that they can be pivoted outof position. Those pontoons preferably have a load-carrying capacity ofbetween six and ten tones per square meter. The pontoons can be movedfor example by a deck crane. If the pontoons are not required they canbe stowed in mutually superposed relationship in the front cargo holdregion.

The above-described pontoons serve for subdividing the interior of thecargo holds, in which respect the pontoons can be suspended in differentcargo holds at variable heights so that the height of the individualcargo holds can be adapted to be variable. Thus the cargo hold can be ofdiffering heights in its extent or along its length so that a portion ofthe cargo hold of greater height can accommodate corresponding cargowhile another portion of the cargo hold is of lower height so thatcorrespondingly more height is available for the cargo hold to be foundthereabove. That makes it possible to achieve extremely flexibledivision of the cargo area in the various cargo holds.

Provided between the outside wall of the ship and the wall of the cargoholds are ballast tanks which for example can be filled with ballastwater to give the ship the required stability. Disposed above theballast tank is the main deck 85, that is to say the main deck 85extends outside the cargo hold beside the hatch coaming 86.

The top side of the hull of the ship is of a favorable flow dynamicconfiguration by virtue of the design configuration of the cover of thehatch coaming as there are no superstructures which could causeturbulence in the air flow. That is also the reason for covering themain deck as far as the outer skin of the ship, thus affording on themain deck 85 a gangway which is weather-protected and enclosed in afavorable flow dynamic fashion.

FIG. 5 b shows a further view in section of the ship of FIG. 1. A partof the section view of FIG. 5 a is illustrated here. The weather deck 14extends over the main deck 85 and joins the outer skin of the ship so asto provide an aerodynamically favorable shape. The main deck 85 has ahatch coaming 86 on the side towards the cargo hold. The configurationof the weather deck or the cover over the main deck which joins theoutside skin of the ship also protects the main deck 85 from unfavorableweather conditions, apart from the aerodynamically favorable shape.

The ship also has a weather deck hatch. That weather deck hatch is forexample 70×22 meters in size and is covered with a hydraulically drivenfolding cover system (such as for example a MacGregor system or thelike). The load-carrying capacity of the weather deck hatches ispreferably between 3 and 5 tones per square meter.

The weather deck hatch is closed from the rear forwardly so that theperpendicularly disposed hatch covers are between the Magnus rotors onthe ship afterbody when the hatch is open. Preferably there is provideda plurality of lashing eyes for transporting components of a wind powerinstallation. The materials for the tank covers of the lower hold 60preferably do not represent combustible materials so that lashing eyescan be welded in place in the lower hold 60.

The load-carrying capacity of the tank cover is preferably between 17and 20 tones per square meter. All cargo holds including the weatherdeck hatches are preferably also designed for transporting standard seacontainers. Preferably there can be five layers of standard seacontainers below deck and five layers on deck, thus providing a maximumcapacity of 824 TEU.

FIG. 5 c shows a view in section of the deckhouse 40 of the ship ofFIG. 1. The cross-section shown in FIG. 5 c only represents an example.In this case the deckhouse is of a rounded configuration at its one endwhile the deckhouse narrows rearwardly in an aerodynamically favorablefashion.

The ship also has an on-board crane (not shown) which is preferablyprovided in the form of a portal crane with a load-carrying capacity offor example 75 tones. The on-board crane is preferably provided on themain deck. The rails for the on-board crane preferably extend parallelto the coaming of the cargo hatches.

The height of the portal crane which extends above the main deck shouldpreferably be such that the crane is designed for turning components ofwind power installations and is only secondarily used for turningcontainers. As the crane is displaceable over the entire hatch lengthand over the entire width of the ship it is possible to reach anyposition within the cargo holds. The jib of the crane is preferablyadjustable in height in order to be able to lift components of differentsizes over the hatch coaming. Its length is therefore preferably 10meters. The portal crane is in that case designed in such a way that ithas a parking position in the front region of the second intermediatedeck 70. Preferably the portal crane is arranged on a lift platform withrails so that it can close the weather deck thereover.

The ship in accordance with the first embodiment preferably has adiesel-electric main drive. Preferably seven diesel units each with a1000 kW electrical power output centrally supply the entire on-boardsystem with the main propulsion motors and the drive motors for theMagnus rotors as well as the transverse thruster rudders. In that casethe diesel assemblies are switched on and off automatically according tothe demands from the on-board system. The engine room for the dieselunits is preferably disposed in the forecastle beneath the decksuperstructures. The assembly compartment has an assembly hatch to themain deck and suitable devices which allow partial or completereplacement of units in a port. The fuel tanks are preferably disposedin the forecastle behind the double-wall outer skin of the ship. Themain drive 50 is in that case driven by an electric motor which in turnreceives its electric power from a diesel-driven generator. The mainelectric propulsion motors acts in that case directly on avariable-pitch propeller which has a maximum pitch angle of 90°. Theblades can thus be moved into the feathered position. The mainpropulsion motors is disposed with all ancillary units in the mainengine room behind the lowermost cargo hold. The electrical supply linesbetween the diesel unit room and the main engine room are implementedredundantly both on the port side and also on the starboard side. Inaddition thereto the ship can have an emergency diesel room in the shipafterbody region. The rudder of the ship is preferably afforded by ahydraulically operated balanced rudder in order to ensure goodmaneuverability.

The propeller drive is basically provided for the four Magnus rotors 10.The drive and the control of the four Magnus rotors is effected in thatcase completely automatically and in each case independently for each ofthe Magnus rotors so that the Magnus rotors can also be controlleddifferently, that is to say in respect of rotary direction and rotaryspeed.

FIG. 6 shows a block circuit diagram of the control system of the shipin accordance with the first embodiment of FIG. 1. Each of the fourMagnus rotors 10 has its own motor M and a separate converter U. Theconverters U are connected to a central control unit SE. A diesel driveDA is connected to a generator G for generating electrical energy. Therespective converters U are connected to the generator G. Also shown isa main drive HA labeled 50 in FIG. 3, which is also connected to anelectric motor M which in turn is connected with a separate frequencyconverter U both to the control unit SE and also to the generator G. Inthis case the four Magnus rotors 10 can be controlled both individuallyand also independently of each other. Control of the Magnus rotors andthe main drive is effected by the control unit SE which, on the basis ofthe currently prevailing wind measurements (wind speed, wind direction)E1, E2 and on the basis of the items of information relating toreference and desired travel speed E3 (and optionally on the basis ofnavigational information from a navigation unit NE), determines thecorresponding rotary speed and rotary direction for the individualMagnus rotor 10 and the main drive in order to achieve a maximumpropulsion force. The control unit SE in dependence on the thrust forceof the four Magnus rotors and the current ship speed and the referencevalue of the speed steplessly regulates the main drive installationdown, insofar as that is required. Thus the wind power strength can beconverted directly and automatically into a fuel saving. The ship canalso be controlled without the main drive by virtue of the independentcontrol of the Magnus rotors 10. In particular stabilization of the shipcan be achieved in a heavy sea by suitable control of the respectiveMagnus rotors 10.

Furthermore there can be provided one or more transverse thrusterrudders QSA in order to improve the maneuverability of the ship. In thiscase a transverse thrust rudder can be provided on the ship at the sternand one to two transverse thrust rudders can be provided on the ship atthe bow. A drive motor and a converter is associated with eachtransverse thruster rudder QSA. The converter U is again connected tothe central control unit SE and the generator G. In that way thetransverse thruster rudders (only one is shown in FIG. 6) can also beused for controlling the ship as they are connected to the centralcontrol unit (by way of the converter). The transverse thruster ruddersQSA can each be actuated individually in respect of their rotary speedand rotary direction by the central control unit SE. Control can beeffected in that case as described hereinbefore.

The control unit SE can control the power to each thrust providingdevices, the four Magnus rotors, the main drive 50 and thruster ruddersQSA, independently for each and also in light of the power provided tothe others. The amount of power provided to each of the drive units isdone in light of the power provided to each other and in light ofdesired fuel economy, desired travel speeds, wind speeds, direction andother factors. Thus, if there are winds in a selected direction, each ofthe four Magnus rotors may be independently driven, but each at adifferent speed or direction based on the wind and desired action, suchas forward thrust, steering, stabilization control, etc.

The information on the driving power and direction of each Magnus rotor,the main drive 50, and QSA is available to the SE unit, so the power toeach in light of this data can be coordinated. This will permitindependent driving of each thrust providing device to achieve a balanceof a desired direction of travel, speed, fuel consumption rate, etc.

A variable-pitch propeller is usually variable in a range which isbetween −20° and +20°. At a setting of +20° maximum propulsion isproduced while a setting of the variable-pitch propeller at −20° causesthe ship to move in reverse.

Preferably the adjustment range of the variable-pitch propeller isbetween −20° and +100°. Thus the propeller can be turned into afeathered position at about +90° whereby the resistance of the propelleris minimal when the ship is operating with pure Magnus propulsion. Thatis particularly advantageous insofar as the ship is of anaerodynamically more favorable configuration and it is possible for thepropeller to be shut down at an earlier time as the Magnus drive can atan earlier time provide the power output required for forward propulsionof the ship as the resistance of the propeller blades no longer has tobe overcome.

The advantageous values for the Magnus drive are achieved for examplewith afflux flows in a range of between 30° and about 130°, preferablybetween 45° and 130°, with respect to the ship's course. As the drivefor the ship is to be effected as far as possible by the Magnus rotors,travel against the wind is only limitedly possible so that in terms ofnavigation a certain deviation from the ideal course is possible inorder thereby to make it possible to make better use of the drive by theMagnus rotors. Thus both the wind direction and also the wind speed havean influence on navigation or control of the ship.

In this connection reference is to be made to the true wind directionand the true wind speed arising out of the meteorological data which aresuperposed by the movement of the ship. Vectorial addition of themeteorological wind direction and wind speed and the course and thespeed of travel of the ship leads to what is referred to as the truewind which is described by the true wind direction and the true windspeed.

Maneuverability can be improved by the arrangement of four Magnus rotors10 (two at the front and two at the stern on the ship).

The Magnus rotors 10 are preferably of an overall height of 27 metersabove the main deck and are 3.5 meters in diameter. That affords amaximum headroom clearance of 40 meters with a draught of 5 meters. Itwill be appreciated that other dimensions are also possible. Theelectric motors and the converters of the respective Magnus rotors aredisposed beneath the rotor in a separate compartment below deck. Thismeans that the converters and the motors are accessible for maintenancepurposes.

In addition to the above-described embodiments the ship can have atowing kite connected to the ship with a towing cable. In that way sucha towing kite, with suitable wind directions, can also be used as anancillary drive in order further to save fuel.

The above-described Magnus rotors can involve a high-speed mode of 15and more, preferably more than 20. Such a high high-speed mode makes itpossible to achieve a significant increase in efficiency.

FIG. 7 shows a modified embodiment of the generation system for theelectrical energy of the ship. The generation system shown in FIG. 7 canbe integrated into the control system shown in FIG. 6. By way ofexample, the Figure shows two diesel drives or internal combustionengines DA with downstream-connected electrical generators G1, G2. Theexhaust gases from the diesel drives DA are discharged through anexhaust pipe 110 and passed to a post-combustion unit NV. In thatpost-combustion unit NV the constituents of the exhaust gas which havenot yet been burnt in the diesel drives DA are burnt and by way of adownstream-connected heat exchanger WT that combustion heat, but also aconsiderable part of the heat of the exhaust gas, is taken therefrom andused for driving a further generator G3 which from that heat generatesadditional electrical energy. That means that the diesel drives DA arecorrespondingly less heavily loaded and the fuel consumption thereof iscorrespondingly lower. The exhaust gases which are subjected topost-treatment in that fashion can then be discharged by way of a funnel112.

The electrical energy generated by the generators G1-G3 can be fed asshown in FIG. 6 to the motor M of the main drive HA for example by wayof an electrical on-board network. In addition the converters U and theelectric motors M of the Magnus rotors 10 can be supplied withelectrical energy by way of the on-board network. The on-board networkcan also be used to ensure the electrical energy supply for the ship.

FIG. 8 shows a simplified view of the cross-section of the hull of theship. The hull has an upper region 15 and a lower region 16. A propeller50 of the conventional propulsion drive system and the central rudder 51are arranged midships.

Disposed at each of the two sides of the central rudder 51 is arespective further rudder 52 a, 52 b. Those further rudders 52 a, 52 bare arranged displaced by a predetermined distance from the centralrudder 51 towards the port side (rudder 52 a) and the starboard side(rudder 52 b). Those two additional rudders 52 a, 52 b are of an area,the size of which is approximately twice as large as that of the centralrudder 51. In that respect those additional rudders 52 a, 52 b serveprimarily to improve the sailing properties of the ship, that is to saythe properties when traveling using the Magnus rotor drive.

FIG. 9 a shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of the centralrudder 51. In this alternative embodiment the rudder 51 has a so-calledCosta pear 53. Mounted on that Costa pear 53 are guide vanes 53 a whichare of such a configuration that they convert at least a part of theturbulence generated by the propeller 50 in the water into a forwardpropulsion force for the ship. In that way the power supplied in thepropeller 50 is more effectively converted into a propulsion force andthus also contributes to the saving in fuel.

FIG. 9 b shows a further view of the central rudder 51 with the Costapear 53 and guide vanes 53 a, 53 b, 53 c, 53 d. Those guide vanes 53a-53 d are additionally enclosed by a ring 54. That arrangement of theCosta pear, the guide vanes and the ring enclosing the latter furtherimproves conversion of the power supplied to the propeller (not shown inthis Figure, see FIG. 8, reference 50) into propulsion force for theship. The rudder 51 can also be in the form of what is referred to as a‘twisted rudder’.

FIG. 10 a shows in a greatly simplified view one of the propeller blades50 a with an edge arc 55 mounted thereon in a view from behind. FIG. 10b shows a side view of that propeller blade 50 a and the edge arc 55which bends off to one side (towards the right in the Figure) can beclearly seen there.

FIG. 10 c shows a plan view of that propeller blade 50 a and the edgearc 55 a can be clearly seen as being of an elliptical shape. Thatelliptical shape leads to a particularly desirable behavior in terms offlow dynamics and a progressive detachment of the flow along theelliptical shape so that there is only still a very small part of theflow that has to come away from the edge arc 55 a at the tip thereof.That means that flow detachment is linked to substantially lesser lossesand that also contributes to an improved propulsion performance and thusbetter fuel utilization. An elliptical edge arc 55 a″ is shown in brokenline in the left-hand part of this Figure. That indicates that the edgearc can naturally be bent out of the plane of the propeller blade 50 anot only towards the side shown in FIG. 10 b but also towards theopposite side, depending on the respective requirements involved.

FIGS. 10 d and 10 e show a similar even if alternative embodiment. Itwill be clearly seen from FIG. 10 d that here there are two edge arcs 55a, 55 b which are angled towards mutually opposite sides out of theplane of the propeller blade 50 a. In contrast to the view in FIGS. 10 band 10 c in which only one edge arc was illustrated, there are two edgearcs here. That provides that the losses due to detachment of the flowfrom the propeller blades 50 a are still further reduced and thus evenmore force is available for propelling the ship.

1. A cargo ship comprising: a plurality of Magnus rotors positioned onan upper deck of the cargo ship and exposed to receive wind; a pluralityof individually actuable electric motors associated with and coupled tothe respective Magnus rotors for rotating the Magnus rotors; a pluralityof electrical converters, each associated with each respective electricmotor for providing electric power to drive the respective electricmotors coupled to the Magnus rotors; and an operational gangway, theoperational gangway provided at least partially with a cover in such away that the cover adjoins at least one of an outer skin of the ship anda top side of the ship.
 2. The cargo ship according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a central control unit connected to the converters forcontrolling the individual converters in order to control at least oneof a rotary speed or a rotary direction of the Magnus rotors in eachcase independently of the other Magnus rotors.
 3. The cargo shipaccording to claim 2, wherein the rotary speed and the rotary directionof the Magnus rotors is controlled in dependence on a wind speed, a winddirection, a predeterminable course or navigational information.
 4. Thecargo ship according to claim 1, further comprising: an electric motoras a main drive of the ship; and a converter being associated with theelectric motor for controlling the electric motor.
 5. The cargo shipaccording to claim 3, wherein the Magnus rotors are controlled by acentral control unit in such a way that a maximum propulsion isachieved, wherein a difference between a desired propulsion and apropulsion obtained by rotation of the Magnus rotors is afforded by amain drive.
 6. The cargo ship according to claim 1, further comprising:a weather deck which has substantially rounded corners and roundedcomponent parts to implement an aerodynamic form.
 7. The cargo shipaccording to claim 1, further comprising: a deckhouse, a profile ofwhich is such that it contributes to a propulsion of the ship.
 8. Acargo ship comprising: a plurality of Magnus rotors positioned on anupper deck of the cargo ship and exposed to receive wind; a plurality ofindividually actuable electric motors associated with and coupled to therespective Magnus rotors for rotating the Magnus rotors; a plurality ofelectrical converters, each associated with each respective electricmotor for providing electric power to drive the respective electricmotors coupled to the Magnus rotors; and a propeller having blades, theblades of the propeller each having a bent edge arc.
 9. The cargo shipaccording to claim 8, wherein the blades of the propeller have anelliptical edge arc.
 10. The cargo ship according to claim 8, whereinthe blades of the propeller have two edge arcs which are angled toopposite sides of the blades.
 11. The cargo ship according to claim 8,further comprising: a first central rudder and at least two secondrudders which are respectively arranged displaced a predetermined amountfrom the first central rudder, wherein the two second rudders are of asize which is twice as large as the size of the central rudder.